Emmett woman killed in crash after striking horse on Highway 16

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EAGLE, Idaho (KBOI) -- A horse in the middle of the road caused two car crashes, taking the life of a woman and sending three others to the hospital, the Ada County Sheriff's office says.

The crashes happened around 5 a.m. Monday on Highway 16, near the intersection of Broadwood Lane.

Deputies said the driver of a vehicle was traveling southbound on Highway 16 when it hit the horse and then drove through a fance and into a small rock wall on the side of the road.

The Ada County Coroner's Office identified the deceased as 43-year-old Alma Sanchez of Emmett. The coroner says she died of blunt force trauma to the head. She was not wearing a seatbelt.

Diaz's two female passengers were sent to the hospital. Both were being treated for non life-threatening injuries.

While the horse was still in the street, the driver of a second car heading the same direction down Highway 16 swerved to miss it and rolled onto its hood. The single driver of that car was sent to the hospital with unknown injuries.

Deputies said the horse died sometime after those crashes.

The Ada County Sheriff's Office says the owner of horse has been identified. "It's not a free range area," the sheriff's office said in a Tweet. "Prosecutors will review & decide if charges are warranted."